


The Move

by phanburnhamizzard



Category: Phan, Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF), dan and phil
Genre: Cuddles, Fluff, Gen, M/M, Moving, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-24
Updated: 2015-07-24
Packaged: 2019-06-15 08:13:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,599
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15408744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phanburnhamizzard/pseuds/phanburnhamizzard
Summary: Dan and Phil move apartments and remember their evolving relationship.  Romance, Fluff, Cuddles, memories of mild angst.This was an early attempt at fan fiction and I hold it close to my heart.  I "chaptered" it unnecessarily, so I've just left it as one story here:)





	The Move

The Move, Chapter I

"Dan, I'm never moving again."

"Ugh."

"This floor is the most comfortable thing that has ever existed and I'm never moving off of it."

"I'm not hand feeding you, Phil. You're going to have to get up eventually."

"No. I will never move from this spot. My Spotty."

Dan laughed, rolled over and punched Phil in the shoulder.

"Ow!" Phil yipped as he quickly sat up.

"I thought you were never moving," Dan teased.

"You hit me! That wasn't fair!" Phil laughed as he fake-pouted.

"Ugh, we need food but I can't imagine using my legs again."

"We could call for a pizza and then just roll on the floor to the door," Phil suggested.

Dan rolled his eyes.

"I said roll to the door, not roll your eyes."

Dan slow-blinked at Phil then they both burst into laughter.

The day had been a long one, what with moving all their belongings from their old London flat to their new air-conditioned apartment. After the last over-packed box had been carried up the stairs and the front door had been locked, they had both dramatically collapsed onto the floor under the AC vent and soaked up the cool air.

The decision to move had been a difficult one. So many good memories lingered in the old London flat. But the new apartment had so much more room for all of their knick-knacks and it had a third bedroom that they could use for filming gaming videos...and of course, the AC was a bonus. It was quite a bit more expensive, but they decided that together, they could afford it.

"I don't think I have the energy to put my bed together tonight," Phil began.

"I call the sofa!" Dan cut in.

"No fair!"

"Sorry, called it."

"Where am I supposed to sleep then?" Phil whined.

"On your "Spotty". I thought you loved it?" Dan teased.

Phil rolled his eyes. "You're going to have to make room for me on the sofa because I am not sleeping on the floor, Howell."

"Okay, fine," said Dan as he slowly sat up. "But only because I don't have the energy for an epic rock/paper/scissors battle right now."

Slowly, they crawled across the floor to the sofa, their aching muscles complaining with every stride.

Dan made it to the sofa first and hefted himself up onto his sofa crease. Phil climbed onto the other end and lay down. Immediately, their feet and lower legs became entangled.

"This is not going to work," whined Dan, "we're too tall!"

"Well, I don't know what to tell you because I'm not moving off this sofa. I might never move from this spot again. Spotty 2."

Dan laughed and closed his eyes.

Two hours later, he awoke to find Phil's head buried in his chest. He wrapped his arms around him and nestled his chin in Phil's hair.

Of course, in the morning, he'd act offended and appalled and all of that; but tonight, he just wanted some comfort and his best friend was a good cuddler, so he just let it go. As his heavy eyelids began to droop, he looked at the mess of boxes and furniture that was their new place. He could feel Phil's heartbeat and the rise and fall of his chest with each breath as he held him in his arms.

And he smiled.

And all was well with the world.

The Move, Part II

Chapter Summary

After their first night on the couch, they are sore and stiff, but both secretly happy at having spent time snuggling together. As the day progresses, both wonder what will happen on their second night in the new apartment.

Phil awoke first, finding himself snuggling inside Dan's warm arms. He smiled and sighed, careful to remain still so as not to awaken his best friend.

His back was killing him from the moving they did the day before and his left leg was completely asleep as it was pinned under Dan's, but Phil didn't care. This was one of those rare moments when everything seemed perfect and he wanted to savor it as long as he could.

Dan used to be an active snuggler. He used to seek out every opportunity he could to cuddle up with Phil. But, after the epic year of tension that was 2012, he had backed off quite a bit. He was always afraid that they would get too complacent; so, even when they were home alone, he avoided touching Phil so as not to get back into the habit and then let it happen in public accidentally.

Phil lay there in Dan's arms and remembered their earlier years together. He remembered falling asleep on the floor with Dan after they had filmed their first video together. As he felt Dan's chest slowly rise and fall, he remembered that first time they had snuggled together: two young men, shyly holding each other in a hug that never broke. The video camera capturing the innocent hug that turned into an innocent cuddle that turned into a night of holding one another. The camera ran out of battery before morning, but it captured the sweet little laughs and giggles and the whispered conversations of two boys discovering one another.

Phil never erased that video. Sometimes, he played it on his phone when he had insomnia and it never failed to help him fall into a peaceful sleep.

Dan stirred, bringing Phil back to the present moment.

"OMG, I can't move," Dan muttered, "I think I broke my whole body."

Phil giggled.

"Are you lying on my arm? I can't even feel it."

"And I can't feel my leg, so between the two of us, we are in pretty bad shape. I guess we'll just have to stay here forever," Phil joked.

Dan laughed.

Then, the moment turned from sweet to awkward, the way it always did these days.

"Um, so," Dan said, "I guess we should get to unpacking."

"Yeah, I guess so," Phil said. "Of course, that would involve moving our dead limbs, and I don't know arm CPR so I am not sure how this is going to work."

"Phil, your brain is so weird!" Dan laughed. "Now get off my arm!"

The two boys slowly broke their embrace and sat up on the couch.

"Oh, I hate this feeling!" Phil exclaimed as the blood rushed back into his leg.

"Oh God!" Dan yelped as his arm began to awaken,"The tingles! The pressure! Cut it off!"

Both jumped to their feet and began rubbing their affected limbs to get the circulation back going.

The sudden space between them felt like a gaping void, and both missed the warmth of the other. Of course, neither said anything to indicate that. They just jumped around and laughed as their limbs came back to life.

After taking quick showers and straightening their hair, they dressed and headed out to the nearest Starbucks for a quick muffin and a coffee to get some energy to begin the unpacking. On the way home, they stopped at a Pharmacy and got some anti-inflammatory to help them make it through the day with a bit less pain and stiffness.

"Dan," Phil said as they were putting together Dan's bed, "we should really be filming some of this."

"I know, but I just don't have the energy for any bants," Dan replied.

"What?! You've been joking all day!"

"I know, but not appropriate for all ages joking", Dan said.

"Well, that's true. But we could always put it on your channel where people expect a little less angel-bean and a little more spicy-Dan".

"I guess so. Do you even know where the camera is in all this mess?"

"Yes, I do! I'll go get it," Phil said with energy that seemed to come from nowhere.

Dan sat down on the floor to wait for Phil to return and thought back to waking up with Phil in his arms. Of course, he had had to act like it was a bother, but really, he had treasured the moment so very much. He almost hated to get his bed put together because that meant there was no chance for another snuggle on the couch tonight.

Phil ran back in with the camera and the tripod and began to set everything up. While he went to unpack the light, Dan came up with a brilliant idea.

"Hey," he said, as Phil set the light up, "Let's film us doing half of my bed then half of your bed. Then we can do a quick edit and throw it up there tonight."

Phil crinkled his eyebrows, "But then we won't have anywhere to sleep tonight!"

"You'll always have your 'Spotty'," Dan shot back.

Phil rolled his eyes. "You're right, though, we don't have time to do both and get the video up so, yeah, let's do half of each."

Dan grinned to himself. Another couch snuggle night was going to happen and Phil was none the wiser.

Phil turned his back to Dan and smirked. Another couch snuggle night was going to happen, and Dan had inadvertently made it happen.

And they were both smugly satisfied with themselves.

The Move, Part III

"Phil Lester, Ladies and Gentlemen!" Dan declared sarcastically into the camera.

Phil took a dramatic bow as the head of Dan's bed collapsed loudly onto the floor.

Dan cackled with laughter as he curled into a ball on the floor.

Phil stared into the camera, "Okay, so, maybe that wasn't the BEST idea!"

Phil carefully crawled off the top of the bed he had just jumped on to prove it's sturdiness and gave the camera an eyebrow raise and a shoulder shrug. "Okay! So tune in next time for...." He dramatically marched into the camera, "Part TWO!"

Dan was still rocking on the floor, overcome with laughter as Phil snapped off the camera.

"I honestly thought that would work!" Phil exclaimed with a smile that betrayed his joy at the situation.

"Phil Lester," Dan gasped, "You are a strange human being."

"I am a hungry human being," Phil said, "Let's get something to eat!"

"Phil, it's like 3 in the morning. Take out is closed by now!"

"Well, what are we going to do for food, then?" Phil asked, "We can't just not eat. I'm famished!"

Dan wiped the tears off his face and sat up. "Don't we have some fruit in that bag your mum sent?"

"Oh yeah!" Phil said excitedly as he raced downstairs.

Dan slowly got to his feet and descended the stairway towards the kitchen. The stairs in the new house had rails, and he was glad because they were also wider, which had made moving the larger objects easier, but also made it more likely that Phil would trip and fall. Which he had--three times. Luckily, he didn't get hurt. Dan smirked to himself remembering it. He knew, of course, that Phil lacked coordination, but he never realized how much Phil relied on the walls in their old narrow stairwell to balance himself.

"Dan?" Phil called out, "We have two apples and one banana to split."

"Okay, that will have to be enough then. We'll fill up on water."

They sat on the kitchen floor and began to devour the apples, relishing the sweet taste and the nutrients they provided to their exhausted bodies.

"Should we be filming this?" Dan asked, for a B-roll or something?

"Probably," Phil said, as he took another huge bite of apple, "But I am physically not able to walk up those stairs again to get the camera."

"Neither am I," Dan agreed. "We'll just have to re-enact this tomorrow."

Phil began to giggle. "Re-enact this grand moment in the lives of Dan and Phil: The Glorious Apple Eating While Sat on The Kitchen Floor Scene"!

Dan laughed. "Hey, it's domestic. You know they love domestic."

Truthfully, both Dan and Phil loved the domestic reveals they gave to their audience as well. These scenes of normalcy helped to keep them grounded when it would be all to easy to get lost in the weird world of having fans who scream and cry whenever they saw them. Domestic scenes were a good reminder to everyone that they were just two normal people.

They both eyed the banana greedily.

"Rock, Paper, Scissors?" Dan asked.

"No, let's half it. I'm still starving."

"Okay. Where are the knives?"

"I've literally no idea," Phil said, "Just break it in half."

Dan took the banana and peeled it, then carefully studied it for the halfway point.

"Dan..." Phil whined in his high-pitched voice, "it doesn't have to be perfect, just break the banana in half before my stomach begins to eat itself!"

"Okay, fine, but I don't want to hear about it if it is uneven!" Dan said as he broke the banana into perfect halves.

Phil rolled his eyes. That was his Dan. So symmetrical. So precise. It was both an infuriating and endearing personality trait and Phil had taken great efforts to make himself find it endearing.

Dan, of course, had had to force himself to find Phil's little nuances endearing instead of annoying as well. For someone like Dan, who needed everything to be "just so", Phil's habits of leaving clothes everywhere, not closing cabinet doors, and never putting things away had been a huge hurdle for him to overcome. They did occasionally still get on each others' nerves, but they had learned to just let it go and think of the ways they were blessed to have each other.

Phil was done with his banana in a matter of seconds, while Dan savored his bite by bite. Phil looked on jealously.

"Not my fault you ate yours like a bloody animal, Philip," Dan teased.

"Ugh. I'm going to get some water. Where are the glasses?"

"No idea," Dan said as he slowly chewed the last bite of banana.

Phil leaned over and drank straight from the faucet.

"Phil! That's disgusting! We haven't even washed that faucet yet!"

"Oh my God!" Phil exclaimed, spitting out the rest of the water into the sink. "Oh gross!"

Dan laughed. "It's alright. If the last person living here had died of the plague, they would have had to disclose it in the lease."

"Always the lawyer, eh?" Phil teased as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Always...and never," Dan replied with a smile.

"I've got to go to sleep before I fall asleep standing up," Phil said as he yawned.

"Help me up," Dan requested as he held his arms up like a toddler.

Phil pulled Dan up and they both lumbered into the living room.

They both stopped short of the sofa and stood there silently, each trying to act awkward on the outside while secretly treasuring the cuddles to come inwardly.

"Well," Dan began, "I guess we fit better if we lie in the same direction..."

"Yeah, probably. I mean, we woke up that way, so..."

"Yeah," Dan continued, "I guess that's really the only logical way to fit us both on here."

"I guess," Phil said, his tone serious and deliberate. "I'll take the back this time, though, so your arm won't fall asleep."

"Oh, yeah, um, thanks Phil, that's thoughtful," Dan said, "I appreciate that."

Phil climbed onto the sofa and lay on his side. He tucked a pillow under his head and backed as far as he could up to the back of the sofa.

"Is that enough room?" he asked, "I could try to back up more..."

Seeing Phil already squeezed up as far as he could get, Dan said, "Oh, that's fine. I'll fit just fine," and sat down on the sofa and lay on his right side, his back to Phil's front.

Phil reached up and pulled the comforter down and covered them both.

"Thanks, Phil," Dan said.

"No problem," Phil replied.

"Good night, then."

"Good night."

Silence filled the room and both boys closed their eyes, fighting off sleep as hard as they could.

It was Dan who felt Phil's heartbeat first as it started gently beating into his back. Phil felt the rise and fall of Dan's back as it pressed into his chest. They both began to feel the body warmth between them grow until it was warming them more than the comforter above them.

Dan grinned and waited for Phil to fall asleep.

Phil waited about 10 minutes until he thought Dan must be asleep and then gently, carefully, let his right arm encircle Dan's chest.

Dan softly pushed back into Phil so that his head was resting in his chest.

Phil waited a few minutes more and leaned his chin forward and slightly down so he could rest it on Dan's soft brown hair.

Dan felt the pressure of Phil's chin and turned his head slowly side to side, snuggling up into it.

They lay this way for about half an hour, both boys exhausted but fighting sleep as they savored each sensation. Their heartbeats seemed to synchronize and their breathing fell into the same pattern.

Dan yawned and then turned onto his left side so he was facing Phil. His head still rested under his friend's chin and Phil's arm adjusted slightly to cradle Dan's back.

Facing one another, they let their legs entwine.

Dan sighed contentedly and allowed himself to fall asleep.

Phil held out a few minutes longer, then drifted off as well.

As the morning sun spilled into the apartment, Phil's eyes opened and found Dan still facing him. He squeezed him in a gentle hug and whispered, "I love you, Dan," into his ear.

Dan, who had awakened 15 minute earlier, struggled to keep his breathing normal so Phil wouldn't know he was awake. So this was the game, was it? Dan realized. Okay then.

Dan decided to have some fun.

The Move, Part IV

Chapter Summary

Dan is onto Phil, but Phil doesn't know that Dan realizes they both had the same innocent little plan to sneak cuddles from the other. Dan decides to have some fun.

Dan had been truly touched to hear Phil utter the words he had not heard in years. He knew them to be true, of course, but they just weren't words that they said aloud to one another anymore. They were unspoken truths that they both knew from a time when love was much simpler. Part of him wanted to open his eyes and repeat the words sincerely into the green-blue-yellow eyes of his best friend. But another part of him wanted to find out more. And to play. So....

"I love you, Dan." Dan whispered into Phil's chest.

Phil's eyes popped open wide. What had just happened? What did he just hear?

Dan must be dreaming. But why was he telling himself he loved him?

Phil held completely still for about 5 more minutes, making sure that Dan was still asleep.

He decided to try again.

"I love you, Dan," Phil whispered.

"I love you, Dan" Dan repeated in a groggy whisper.

Phil didn't know what to think.

Dan was using every ounce of composure in his body to keep his breathing steady and to fight off the hysterical laughter threatening to burst from his throat.

Phil pulled Dan in a bit tighter and stroked his back. Maybe he was having a bad dream. Maybe he was feeling lonely. He decided he should help.

"You're alright, Dan. I'm here."

"I'm here," Dan repeated.

Phil was so confused. Why was Dan repeating everything he said? His body wasn't tense so he doubted it was a bad dream. Maybe....

You little shit, Phil thought to himself. You're awake! You're playing with me! Well then....if you want to play...

Phil took his arm from behind Dan's back and placed it under his chin. Dan quickly closed his eyes and relaxed his face and neck as best he could. What was happening?

Phil gently raised Dan's head and leaned forward, kissing him gently on the forehead. Then he leaned down further and kissed him right at the tip of his nose. Then, he took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and planted a deep, passionate kiss on Dan's lips. He held the kiss for about 15 seconds, going deeper and deeper and his tongue gently parted Dan's soft lips. He only pulled away when he could hold his breath no longer. Then, he softly tilted Dan's head back down into his chest and pulled him in tightly again, not even trying to hide the huge smile on his face.

Dan was shocked. What was this? What was happening? Had this happened last night as well when he really was sleeping? He was fighting as hard as he could to keep his breathing steady.

For his part, Phil was in seventh Heaven. He knew he could now do anything to Dan and Dan would have to pretend to be asleep. What should he do next? What could he do next? What did he WANT to do next?

Dan felt Phil's arm begin to trace circles on his back. The sensation was soothing and 'soothing' was definitely what he needed, so he pushed back into Phil's hand and let out a sigh. He decided he would just go with it and enjoy the sensations while he figured out what to do.

Oh really now? Phil thought to himself. Having some fun? Well, then, I'll have some fun as well!

Phil kept tracing and slowly moved his hand lower and lower until he was in the small of Dan's back. Then, deftly, he lifted Dan's jeans away from his skin and began to massage his buttocks.

Dan's eyes popped open before he realized it and he slammed them closed as quickly as he could. What the hell?

Phil continued with the massage until he felt Dan relax again. He was really working hard to pretend to be asleep! Hmm. What would make him have to work even harder?

Harder?

There we go. That was the answer.

Phil allowed his hand to move up to Dan's hip and caress it. Then he found the boy's stomach and let his fingers graze it up and down and side to side. Slowly, teasingly, he began to move lower.

OH MY GOD, Dan was thinking. What in the hell is Phil doing? Where is he going with this? The last time he had touched him like this, they had both had hair down to their shoulders! It felt really good, and to be honest, Dan fantasized about Phil quite often while touching himself, but ....

Phil's hand found Dan and began to gently stroke him through his boxers.

Dan gasped in a breath before he could stop himself. It felt so good.

Phil looked down at the top of Dan's head buried in his chest and wondered what the boy was thinking and how much further he could go before Dan admitted he had been trying to prank him.

Dan, for his part, had decided he was going to stop thinking. He was going to go with this and just enjoy the moments and the pleasures until Phil decided he couldn't go any farther.

And so they lay: two boys with a master plan.

In the end, who would end up winning?

The Move, Part V

Phil felt Dan's body jolt and heard his sharp intake of breath as soon as he grabbed him. He smiled to himself with satisfaction, thinking that Dan would surely pull away and admit he had been pretending to be asleep the whole time.

But he didn't. He just lay there for a moment and then nuzzled his face deeper into Phil's chest.

Phil was befuddled. How far would Dan let this go? Nevermind that, how far was he willing to let it go?

As he lay there holding a quickly stiffening Dan in his hand, he made his decision.

Phil closed his eyes and allowed his hand to begin caressing Dan freely beneath his shorts. Even though it had been years, he still remembered how Dan liked to be touched and he found he still enjoyed the thrill of getting his best friend excited.

For his part, Dan was trying to keep his breathing under control. The stirring feeling had started in his stomach and he felt his hips involuntarily begin to push him forward into Phil's hand. The sensation of Phil's light touch was incredible, and it was all he could do to keep from moaning.

The scene would have been comical if it were not so filled with desperate passion, intense longing and burning desire. There they were: two young men playing a dangerous game of chicken, riding the edge and secretly hoping against hope that they would be the one to lose.

Phil allowed his body to do as it pleased, and found his pelvis gently thrusting against Dan's stomach. Dan arched his neck upwards and found Phil's lips, taking them between his own. Phil returned the soft kiss and let out a quiet moan, his deep voice echoing through the apartment and sending as shiver up Dan's spine.

Dan opened his mouth and allowed Phil to explore him with his tongue. He had missed the taste of Phil: so salty and sweet.

If only they could open their eyes and admit their desire for one another. But there was too much history; too much emotion; too much complexity to even open that Pandora's box.

And so they continued their charade: this painfully slow and wicked game of arousing each other to the breaking point.

Dan felt himself tense and reflexively pulled away from Phil's hand. He didn't want it to end too soon.

Phil rolled over onto his stomach, taking Dan with him so that Dan was lying on his back. Phil cradled Dan's head in his hands and began to smother his face with kisses as he allowed himself to grind on Dan's stomach.

Dan's eyes, still tightly closed, rolled up into his head at wondrous sensation of Phil on his stomach. He reached out and grabbed Phil by the hips and began to guide him into a steady rhythm. A familiar rhythm. Their rhythm.

Phil's lips found Dan's neck and kissed it slowly and tenderly, over and over. Now it was Dan's turn to let out a moan.

Their sensations were heightened by the darkness of their closed eyes. Each touch felt electric; each kiss like an eternity.

Dan's hands left Phil's hips to find him on his stomach and took him carefully but firmly into both of his hands. Just the way Phil liked it. Just the way they had always done it. Just like always.

Phil was panting now, his member quickly becoming hard. Dan instinctively spread his legs as he treasured the sensation of his Phil in his hands once again.

Dan's open mouth found Phil's and they shared a deep, intimate kiss interrupted only by brief gasps for air.

Dan's legs slowly lifted from the sofa and found their way around Phil's hips.

Phil buried his face in Dan's chest as he felt the pleasure begin to build. He felt Dan's hands shift away from his member and around to his buttocks, gently massaging him as he ground himself on Dan's soft stomach. Phil could feel Dan's erection reaching up between his thighs and instinctively narrowed his legs to caress it.

Dan moaned loudly, thrusting upwards to meet the friction he craved. Phil raised his head and found Dan's face, and they rubbed their noses together as they prepared to kiss once more.

The phone alarm startled them with its loud ring and their eyes reflexively snapped open. They were eye to eye and nose to nose with the brightness of the late morning sun constricting their pupils as they froze in position: Dan's legs around Phil's hips with his hands on his buttocks and his erection between his thighs; Phil's hands cradling Dan's face and his erection on Dan's stomach.

The only sounds in the apartment were their quick pants for air, and of the bloody cell phone buzzing indifferently on the other side of the living room.

The Move, Part VI

The alarm shut off after a minute, but in that minute, Dan and Phil had not moved. They were frozen in position, their eyes locked on one another.

There was a decision to be made here. There was a huge, relationship altering, life changing decision to be made here and neither wanted to be the one to make it.

And so they lay there, one boy atop the other, noses pressed together, eyes so close their lashes brushed the others' when they blinked.

And they stared.

They stared into each others' eyes and they searched for the answer. They searched for the pure and simple truth. They scanned through all of the bullshit and all of the drama of the past and tried to find what was real in the present. What was their relationship? What were they to each other? What was their future together?

Dan found it first. He bit his lip. His eyes welled up with tears. He couldn't say it, but he knew it.

Phil read it in Dan's eyes an instant afterwards. He pursed his lips then turned his head slightly and kissed Dan on the lips.

Tears spilled down Dan's cheeks. Phil kissed them away.

The rest of the morning was filled with slow, passionate caresses and tender kisses. Only when the afternoon sun shone into the apartment window did they allow themselves the full pleasures of one another.

As they held each other tightly and regained their breath, it was Dan who gathered the courage to speak the first words.

"You feel like home to me."

Phil inhaled slowly, breathing in Dan's scent, then closed his eyes and exhaled contentedly.

"I never had a best friend before I met you. I never had a true lover before I met you. I never had a true home--a place I could breathe and relax and be free--before I met you. I love you, Phil. I love you."

Phil lay in silence with his head on Dan's chest for several minutes before responding. He was thinking of the right words. He wanted them to be eloquent. He needed them to be perfect. But, in the end, he decided to just say what he felt to be true, eloquence be damned.

"Dan, I love you. I love your beautiful mind and your deep emotions. I love your wonderful body and your goofy sense of humor. If I feel like home to you it's because you belong with me. I am not complete without you. I've missed you these past 3 years, Dan. Please promise me you'll never leave again."

Dan took his left hand and raised Phil's head up so he could meet his eyes. "I promise."

They kissed sweetly and tenderly, then slowly sat up.

"I think I want to take a shower," Dan said.

"That's a good idea."

"Join me?"

"Of course."

As they made love in the shower, they heard a pounding on the front door.

"Oh God!" Phil exclaimed, "That will be my mum! That's what the alarm was for!"

"Sweet Jesus!" Dan yelped as they dashed out of the shower and covered themselves with towels as best they could before racing downstairs to answer the door.

In hindsight, answering the door TOGETHER, naked except for a towel, dripping wet and with hands uselessly covering their obviously erect genital areas was not the best way to announce their rekindled relationship to Phil's mum, but to her credit, she took it very well and made every effort to pretend she didn't notice that she had interrupted them.

After she dropped off her housewarming gift and kissed them both on the cheek, she left quickly, laughing to herself on the lift on the way out of the building.

Phil was, of course, mortified, but Dan thought it was hilarious.

"Maybe she didn't know," Phil began hopefully.

"Phil, OF COURSE she knows what we were doing. She's not stupid."

"Maybe she thinks we were both taking separate showers when she knocked. That could happen."

"And that we both had erections at the same time? " Dan asked, laughing.

"Oh God!"

"Phil, it's fine," Dan soothed, "She knew about us before and was fine with it. Besides, you're an adult and you are allowed to have sex."

"Yeah, I know," Phil said, leaning into Dan, "I just...I wanted to make the announcement special."

Dan smiled and put his arm around Phil's shoulder. "It's okay, Phily. We can still make it special. In fact, it's already special for me."

"Yeah, I know," Phil said, looking into Dan's eyes. "It's already special to me as well."

Dan took Phil into his arms and they held each other.

"You know what else is special?" Dan asked.

"What?"

"This puddle of water and soap we are making on our new carpet. Say goodbye to our security deposit!"

"Ah!" Phil yelped, dropping his towel to the floor and stamping on it to soak up the puddle.

Dan decided what the heck, dropped his towel as well, and began to help clean up the watery mess.

And so we leave them: two boys, naked, frantically cleaning up a soapy puddle of water in their new apartment, but happy.

So very, very happy.

So very deeply in love.

And home.


End file.
